As soon as I get my tax refund back I'll be adding it to some money I'm working to save and I'll need to get a new(er) vehicle.  Although it's tempting to get something for the gas mileage, I'm curious if any of you have recommendations for vehicles that simply perform better than others in bad weather.  We really don't get a lot of bad weather days but, when we do, people don't know how to drive in it!  I'd like to feel a bit more in control out there (and I'm tired of hydro-planing on one of our freeways!).
 
So what do you think are good options?  Subaru's with all-wheel drive?  Trucks, SUV's or cars?  Do studded tires really work in snow and ice?  Certain makes and/or models?
 
Note that this vehicle will have to be something I drive in Summer too so no snow mobiles! 

Best we've owned was a 1997 Shogun LWB with low ratio. That car could get through anything. Had nearly 300,000 miles on the clock when we parted with it. Nice high driving position so you can see what's going on ahead.
 

I've got a Ford Explorer and a Nissan Pathfinder, and they're both great in bad weather. Nothing beats four wheel drive. Studded snow tires are great, too. The problem with those is, when you get on patches of dry pavement, it feels like your vehicle is going to vibrate into pieces. I vote for four wheel drive, without studded snow tires, just fairly aggressive all-terrain tires.

It doesn't really matter what you are driving. It's the ****wit behind you/coming the other way that is the problem.

I've got a friend that lives a few hours from civilization, up here in the Great White North.  She swears by her AWD Subaru.  Good gas mileage as well as traction.
From my experience, any good solid 4WD SUV should be enough.  Then it's just down to mileage.  I used to have a GMC Yukon that was solid as a rock, but unaffordable to gas up!

I used to spend a lot of time in Alaska, and was surprised by how common Subarus were up there. Probably half the cars on the road at the time. The rest were full-size pickups.
 
For myself, the best snow vehicles I ever owned were the now-discontinued Chevy Astro. Full-time AWD, good mileage for a van and room for all my gear. I had three of them. Survived being broadsided by a Mac truck (which hit the driver side door) in one of them.

Another Subaru fan here.

I have 2 Jeeps (a 98 Cherokee and an 07 Commander). When I buy my next vehicle it will be a Jeep as well. What really turned me on to the Jeep Cherokee was its performance as an EMS Supervisor's vehicle in DC back in the 90s. First year they were in service we had a heavy snow and the Jeeps went everywhere without a problem. Plus they lasted a long time (over 6 years) as front line emergency response vehicles. That means these vehicles were driven very hard every day, night and day, and at times by folks who really didn't care about the vehicle (we had one guy who would drive the vehicle in 4WD High even when the ground was dry as a bone). After six years and over 300,000 miles, they were still going. My Cherokee has almost 180,000 on it and it still runs great after 18, almost 19 years.
 
While the vehicle is a big help in bad weather, as Paulo noted it is more likely the other idiots  on the road that will cause problems. But I have also seen a number of idiots who drive 4WD vehicles and think because it is simply 4WD they can go anywhere at any speed they want. 4WD vehicles like a Jeep are a different animal from a regular car. You have to learn how to drive it, even in good weather. They have a higher CG and can tip over on a dry road at high speed if not careful.
 
As with most things, the tool can make a difference, but it is the craftsman that uses the tool that brings out its full potential.
 
My 2-cents (and not a penny more).

I can say to not get a truck unless it is 4 wheel drive or you plan to carry sand or some other weight in the bed. The rear ends are just too light to get much traction in winter weather.

As the resident "car dealer" here, I'll throw in my thoughts for you Craig.
 
Subaru-Great in the snow and built sturdy. Good on gas. The problem with finding a nice used one is that folks tend to drive them til they are shot! If you do find one with decent miles for the year, make sure the timing chain/belt has been done. They are known to fail between 80 and 110k miles. That generally ruins the engine. If you buy one that hasn't been done, it's about $1k to have it done.
 
Jeep-I have one myself. Its a 2015 Grand Cherokee Limited. I love it, but it was $42k new. Used ones are good if they are 07 or newer. The older ones are known for rear differential problems, especially the Liberty. It's about a $2500 fix.
 
Ford Escape-Decent and relatively cheap on the used side.
 
Honda CRV & Toyota Rav 4-Reliable, but too light for my tastes.
 
Stay away from Nissan. The CVT transmissions are junk.
 
Chevy Equinox-Junk engines.
 
Kia/Hyundai-They've come along way since 05. Any thing later than that should be decent, but like the Honda and Toyota, a little light.
 
Chrysler-Beware!
 
If you do come across something that you are interested in, send me a pm and I'll gladly do some research on it for you. If you can get the VIN#, I can do a little deeper research.